Tuesday, April 5, 2016

New digs

While Park Circle-ers are grieving the recent closure of Raul's Maya Del Sol, which officially closed last Tuesday, we have good news for downtowners. Owner Raul Sanchez will begin serving lunch five days a week at R. Kitchen (212 Rutledge Ave.) beginning this Monday.

"There's no reservation needed. You just show up," says Sanchez of the difference between his lunch service and R. Kitchen owner Ross Webb's dinner operation.

Following the purchase of the building where his Maya Del Sol restaurant operated for the past three years, Sanchez says he took some time to weigh his options. He considered opening another restaurant or even returning to his former home of Chicago, but when Webb approached him he says he couldn't pass up the opportunity saying the situation is ideal.

"I’m renting his kitchen," says Sanchez. "It’s a perfect scenario. He gets a little bit of revenue and we’re independent."

Sanchez plans to have a rotating lunch menu at R. Kitchen with specific dishes offered each day of the week at a set price. He hasn't settled on that figure yet, but he says he might offer, say, two enchiladas with rice and beans and a drink for $10.

"It will be very limited and very quick so people who may have only 30 minutes for lunch can get in and out," he says.